FACTS: To wash or not to wash

By Erica

Have you ever wondered what determines what a cheese's rind is like? I always thought it had something to do with bacteria, and it does-- if you let cheese age on a shelf with a certain bacteria strain, the bacteria will grow on the outside of the cheese. The longer you let the cheese age, the thicker the rind will become.

But, of course, it's more complicated than that. If there's anything I've learned about cheese, it's that there's always more to learn about cheese. Another factor that contributes to rind differences (and this I learned from Felix of Capri Cheesery) is whether or not you wash the rind. Washing a rind is just what it sounds like-- as the cheese ages, you periodically bathe the cheese in a liquid, usually a brine or alcohol. This process infuses the cheese with more flavor from the rind and thus causes the cheese to become more pungent. Most softer stinky cheeses have washed rinds. The washed rind, however, remains distinct and more bitter than the cheese.

Here's a buying tip: if you're after a cheese with a thicker rind, look for one that has a distinct boundary between the rind and the cheese-- if there's a gradient of discoloration near the rind, then the bitterness of the rind has infused into the cheese, which is less than desirable.

(Pictured: Taleggio is an example of a washed rind cheese)